Our Momio team consists of a valuable mix of different European nationalities and expertise in a variety of academic fields. Our cultural diversity unifies in a common goal: to create a fun and safe first social media experience for children – Momio.

Last time around we introduced you to Jovana, our Shop Manager. Today you will meet our Swedish social media expert and Community Manager natural Johanna!

Meet Johanna

Hi Johanna! What is your background?

Hey! I’ve been out and about in the digital marketing and communications area for the past five years. I have an MA in Media Studies and a BA Media Management, which means that I’ve spent A LOT of time reading articles about social media, writing papers about social media and scrolling through social media channels when the lectures were too dull. I’ve also been working with digital marketing for small start-ups and as the Community Manager for international brands at an advertising agency before I ended up at Momio.

What are your tasks at Momio?

Well first of all, I am the Community Manager for Swedish Momio, which is awesome. I get to help to teach Swedish kids about internet safety, and I learn so much from them about how it is to be a kid in today’s media climate.

In addition to the Community Manager role, I work with Momios’ external social media channels and try to make sure that we get our message out through the noise in an effective (and of course really cool and creative) way.

Why do you like working at Momio?

I’m a fairly new member of the Momio family, but I’m so happy to be here! The people are so dedicated to what they’re doing, and that’s truly inspiring! I also really like to be a part of social media for kids – because kids are super cool, amazingly talented, so witty and make me giggle in front of the screen every day. It is so awesome to take part in raising the next digital generation!

Johanna, thank you for being such a valuable team member and player. You are truly inspiring us with your social media skills and creativity every day!

GET TO KNOW US!

In case you missed an interview, here is an overview of the people behind Momio:

Lill Hennschen, Momio

Lill has been employed as a German Community Manager since May 2013 and works with content creation, online safety and translation. She has a Bachelor degree in Humanities and Communication and a special interest in equality studies. Besides this, she volunteers for Red Barnet Ungdoms project MobSquad – an initiative trying to prevent bullying and segregation in primary schools.

Parents often wonder and worry what their kids might be sharing online. Without proper education they might reveal something that shouldn’t be revealed – they’re just kids and therefore might not know all the intricate rules of online behaviour. We, as adults, know better, right?

Well, apparently not. Parents love sharing pictures of their children on social media.

DO YOU ASK YOUR KID’S PERMISSION? YOU SHOULD!

Talking about this topic is like flogging a dead horse – seemingly it’s been talked to death and the resolution is clear. Your kids would like to know and perhaps stop you from sharing something personal about them.

Yet, Facebook, Instagram and other social media are still crawling with adorable/embarrassing (depending on whom you ask) pictures of kids on their potty, with faces smeared with Nutella or just playing with their friends on the playground – all without their kids’ consent. Not only is it invading their privacy, but also helps “create for them a data-rich, enduring and potentially problematic online profile.” It might follow them long after they stop being kids and potentially cause problems.

WHAT DO MOMIOS HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT?

During our Better Internet Week campaign on Momio, we asked our users about that issue. They had some interesting things to say; it ranges significantly, but the consensus is that you should ALWAYS ask anyone, even if it’s a child if you can post a photo or video of them on the internet.

“I really don’t like it, my parents (especially my mum) put up quite a lot of pictures of me when I was younger whenever I did something, I told her to stop but it didn’t help. So she made her account private and put up pictures so just her colleagues at work could see them. <3”

“My parents put up pictures of me on Facebook all the time. They never ask before they do it. I want them to stop doing that but they don’t listen!”

“No one asks me (but I wish they would). My mum once put up a picture of me sitting on the toilet saying: “That’s my girl.” – on Facebook without asking. :<”

“They do and don’t even ask, and I’m like: WHAT IF I’LL POST YOUR PICTURES ON THE INTERNET WITHOUT PERMISSION XDDD”

“My parents always ask for permission when they want to take a photo. I always get to choose if they can put it up or not!”

“Unfortunately, there are others in my family that don’t really think about that some people don’t want to be in pictures. They publish pictures without asking for my permission, sometimes I don’t even know that they take a picture. );”

“Always ask the person that you want to take a photo of if you are allowed to take the picture, or publish it! <3”

About the author:

Diana Cereniewicz, Momio

Diana Cereniewicz is a Polish Community Manager. She started working for us in June 2015 when Momio was launched in Poland. She has a master’s degree in English literature and language, and dabbles in translation and interpretation as well. She also does diverse online content creation and moderation.

We asked our users if they normally tell their parents what they do on Momio. The answers were … Let’s call them slightly negative (from an adult’s point of view). They ranged from: “My parents don’t care”, “What I do on social media is private”, to even: “I’m scared that they would be disappointed if they saw things I do online” and “I WISH my parents cared, but they don’t want to hear anything”.

Both you and I agree that online privacy is extremely important. For many kids, social media is something very private, a space where they can just hang out with their friends and explore the world. As a parent, you probably want your kids to discover the world, but still be aware of what they are doing online. So, how do you keep that fine balance of knowing what your kid is up to without becoming an annoying stalker?

We believe that communication and trust are key. Just as you ask what your kid did in school, ask if there were any news on Momio today! Be genuinely interested in their online life and online friends, and respect it the same way you respect every other part of their life. If there is something on Momio that you don’t understand or find worrying – ask your child about it. After all, they are the experts here, and they are usually really good at explaining too! Just think about it: We all enjoy showing off what we are good at – right? Your child is probably no exception.

Talking about social media at home is always a win-win concept. The kids tend to agree. The few comments where the children actually talk to their parents about Momio were heartwarming. A Swedish user wrote: “I usually talk about Momio with my dad. Once I let him choose an outfit for my momio, that was a bad idea. He is the best dad though <3”.

About the author:

Johanna Ternander, Momio

Johanna is the Swedish Community Manager and has worked for Momio since 2016. Besides Community Manager tasks, she also handles Momio’s external social media channels. With a Master’s degree in Media Studies, she has a deep interest in exploring the social media phenomenon – from blogs to cute animal videos.